Gita Satsangh Chaper 11 Brief Introduction

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

It is customory to provie a brief summary of the chapter so that we

all know what is going to be described in the upcoming verses.

 

I will try to post 2 verses every Sunday so that we have a whole week

of discussions on the posted verses. The transliteration and

translation comes from Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sadananda. We do have

lots of Gita related materials (veres and major commentaries) in the

fild folder: Click on the following Link:

 

advaitin

 

Then go to the following directories for all the files

 

Bhagavad Gita Commentaries and References

Bhagavad Gita Transliteration

Bhagavad Gita Translations

 

There are plenty of reference materials for interested members to

study and understand Gita. If any of you have materials that you want

to share with the rest, we will be happy to load them in one of the

above directories. Send such materials to our dear Sunderji

(sunderh) or to advaitins.

 

The success of any Satsangh depends on active participation by the

members. All the moderators of the list will be actively

participating during the discussiosn (Dennis Waite, Ananda Wood, V.

Krishnamurthy, Kuntimaddi Sadananda, Madathil Rajendran Nair, Sunder

Hattangadi, Ram Chandran, Gregory Goode, Frank Maiello, Gummuluru

Murthy and Madhava Turumella) Also I expect all those who are already

very active will be able to contribute significantly during the

Satsangh. The Satsangh do expect the non-participating silent members

to wake up and join and contribute by actively participating. Please

note that the entire Gita became available because Arjuna raised the

questions and asked Lord Krishna to answer. I want to assure those

silent members that if they raise any questions, the moderators and

other active members such as Shyamji, Rishiji, Sastriji, Vinayakji,

Dhyanasaraswatiji and others will try their level best to provide an

answer. Please also send your suggestions on how we can improve the

Cyber Gita Satsangh to advaitins.

 

Harih Om!

 

Ram Chandran

 

Here is a brif introduction to Chapter 11:

 

THE eleventh chapter of the Gita describes the Divine Miracle. Arjuna

was enabled with the Divine Dimensional Lense to see God as the all-

embracing Universal spirit before which the pairs of opposites, of

good and evil, pleasure and pain, light and darkness, and the like,

disappear. This Divine vision of the Universal was too dazzling for

Arjuna to see as a whole, and even what he saw was too awful for

sight to bear. Literally Arjuna was given the divine vision to go

beyond the sensual perception to enable him to see the

transdichotomous Visvarupa, which transcends the Relative and the

Partial. The aspiring soul may catch glimpse of God, the Universal

Immanent Being, by a pure and dedicated life, and by the practice of

serenity and constant meditation, the Yogi succeeds in merging his

self in the Universe and realizes the ultimate oneness of all

existence.

 

We should be reminded once again that it is Sanjaya, who narrated the

events of the battle to the blind Emperor Dhritarashtra and he

describes the vision that was unfolded to Arjuna. It was only

possible for the Ishwara to embrace the whole universe including the

pairs of opposites, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, sweet and

terrible, pleasant and painful. In a very subtle form Gita provides

some clues to us to grasp the vision of Ishwara – " The vision was

like thousand suns blazed together in the sky! " Even the mighty

Arjuna couldn't able to keep his composure for more than few moments

when he witnessed the sight.

 

Rajaji explains the Cosmic Show with the following words in his

commentary:

 

" When this great vision was unfolded, Arjuna burst into a hymn of

praise. In Thy form, O God, all the gods I see, and crowds of all

grades of being. Brahma, the Lord, upon His lotus-seat, all the

Rishis, and the serpent-gods. I see thee everywhere, with arms,

trunks, mouths and eyes, multitudinous, of shape limitless. I see no

beginning, middle, nor end of Thee, Lord of the Universe, Form All-

embracing. Immeasurable, dazzling, mass of splendor, like the sun or

the blazing fir, with luster issuing in all directions, and with

crown, mace and discus, I see Thee. Thou art the ever abiding, the

Transcendent, the Goal of all knowledge. Thou art the supreme abode

of this universe; Thou art the changeless Guardian of Eternal Nature.

First of the Gods, Primeval Spirit, Supreme abode of all that lives;

Thou art the Knower and Thou art that which is to be known, Thou art

Heaven transcendent, Thou art spread over the universe, O Thou of

shape unending! Thou art Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna and the Moon.

Thou art the progenitor of the universe, the Grandsire: Prostration

to Thee! A thousand prostrations! Again and again, I bow to Thee. I

bow in front of Thee, I bow to Thee behind, I Prostrate on every side

to Thee, I see Thee the energy boundless, measureless in strength,

Thou art the completion of every thing; Thou art everything Thyself.

Thou art the worlds' Father, of all that moves, and of all that

stands, adorable, the greatest Guru. There is none like Thee. Who can

surpass Thee, unequalled in power in all the three worlds? Therefore,

I fall prostrate and offer salutations to Thee; worthy Lord, I seek

Thy grace; Thou should bear with me as father does with son, as

friend with friend, as lover with his beloved. " Reference: (Bhagavad

Gita, by Rajaji, book is available in the internet at:

http://www.hindubooks.org/books_by_rajaji/bhagavad_gita/right_action/p

age1.htm)

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Shri Ram Chandran's Message (#37138, Tue Sep 4) brought to mind a

slightly different Vishva-rupa vision that is found in modern

physics.

 

As Shri Ram points out, such a Vishva-rupa vision is a vast Cosmic

Show, with the whole universe appearing somewhat overwhelmingly in a

single appearance. But, no matter how expanded, such a vision

retains an essential limitation, that it is a constructed show made

up from various differentiated parts.

 

In modern physics, of course, the religious fervour of Arjuna’s

vision is missing. Accordingly, much of the spiritual meaning may be

lost, for a physicist who is disinclined to reflect more deeply.

But, paradoxically, this same lack of fervour serves to point out

the need for an eventually quiet reflection: back from all physical

and mental construction to a living truth that is found everywhere

expressed, in all nature’s phenomena.

 

To this effect, a piece of verse is appended below.

 

Ananda

 

 

Space-time continuum

--------------------

 

The objects of the world occur

in various parts of structured space.

And this world's happenings occur

progressively, in course of time.

 

But space and time themselves are found

continued always everywhere:

throughout all objects and events

that make this world of happening.

 

When space and time are taken thus

to carry on throughout the world,

then this entire universe

turns out to be made up of them.

 

Thus found continued through the world,

that continuity is found

to be the world's unchanging ground

beneath all change and difference.

 

That background continuity

is present always, everywhere.

It is that one reality

found in each object and event.

 

All difference and change apply

to partial objects and events.

What's real in them stays complete,

quite undivided and unchanged.

 

It's only objects and events

that are located in space-time.

Space-time itself cannot be found

to start or end in space or time.

 

The whole continuum itself

is found invariant -- 'all at once' --

beneath all structures formed in space

and processes that change in time.

 

That one invariance is observed

in differing appearances:

shown differently in structured space

and changingly in passing time.

 

But how could it be possible

to find such a reality,

which is thus always shown unchanged

throughout all seeming differences?

 

In search of that reality,

what's sought can't be a made-up world

constructed from appearances

perceived through partial sense and mind.

 

The search must turn back from the world:

to ask instead for living truth

that is expressed spontaneously

in all of nature's happenings.

[Guest guest]

--- Ananda Wood <awood wrote:

 

Shree Anandaji - PraNAms

 

Beautiful. If I may comment -

 

>

> All difference and change apply

> to partial objects and events.

> What's real in them stays complete,

> quite undivided and unchanged.

 

 

> It's only objects and events

> that are located in space-time.

> Space-time itself cannot be found

> to start or end in space or time.

>

> The whole continuum itself

> is found invariant -- 'all at once' --

> beneath all structures formed in space

> and processes that change in time.

>

> That one invariance is observed

> in differing appearances:

> shown differently in structured space

> and changingly in passing time.

>

> But how could it be possible

> to find such a reality,

> which is thus always shown unchanged

> throughout all seeming differences?

>

 

 

Yes - all objects and events are partial and in that

sense are limited - by definition.

- For, without their inherent limitations defining

their boundaries in space and time, they cannot be

distinguished as objects and events.

 

That 'they exist' is real, since they are experienced.

Their boundaries also exist that define the objects

and events, as well as that which is beyond their

boundaries also exists in time and space. What they

exist as can change, along with their changing

boundaries, but 'existence' that defines their changes

as well as the changing boundaries cannot change. It

is like space and time that define the objects and

events. Space does not change even when the objects

and their boundaries in space and in time change.

 

Now the question that baffles the intellect is - Does

the existence of space and time - which suppose to

accommodate objects and events - is it independent of

the changing objects in space and time? To put it

differently - is space defined by objects and is time

defined by changes in the objects? Can I have space

without any objects perceived? And can I have time

without any changes in the objects perceived? Space is

defined as the distance between to simultaneous

events, while time is defined as gap between two

sequential events.

 

But these definitions presuppose a changeless entity

in space and time - No I have put it wrongly. I should

not say the changes in the space and time, but the

very observation of space and time which involves an

observer who can observe the distance between two

limited sequential objects that define space, or

observe the gap between to limited sequential events

that define time has to have existence beyond space

and time that define all objects and events. That

observer is not limited in space and time, since they

too are observed and thus limited AS SPACE AND TIME.

 

That existence that provides the existence to the IDEA

of space-time which in turn provides the basis for the

limitations to the objects and events that are

observed in space and time is the existence of the

conscious observer - sans any objects and events in

space and time. Vision of that

existence-consciousness that pervades the existence of

the whole space and time as well as the whole universe

of objects and events - is the viswaruupa darshana or

vision of the viswa - the universe and darshana, the

vision. That vision cannot be vision of – since any

vision of becomes a vision of object or event in space

and time. It can only self-conscious entity which does

not need any space and time for its definition. This

is what ‘non-duality in spite of duality’ means, as

Dhyanasaraswati wanted me to explain.

 

All forms and all objects and all events along with

the space and time that define these forms and objects

are in Him but He is formless and objectless -

existence-conscious - conscious of the existence of

the entire viswam or the universe of objects and

events. But He cannot be separate observer different

from me – if He is different then we are redefining

space and time that separate us as independent of He

and I, the two observers. The self-conscious and

self-existent entity can only be single and that is

advaita. Advaita is not matam or a philosophy or even

doctrine – as some people make it to be and in the

very process make dvaita out of advaita – It is a fact

to be reckoned with. Without that understanding

dvaita will haunt us since any dvaita will cause

bondage and suffering.

 

>

> The search must turn back from the world:

> to ask instead for living truth

> that is expressed spontaneously

> in all of nature's happenings.

>

>

 

In spite of these complicated arguments, the truth is

very simple. 'I am' is that existence-consciousness

that lends the existence to both space and time which

accommodates all the objects and events. Only if one

asks - how can that be - then one has to analyze the

complicated analysis presented above!

 

Thanks to Anandaji for the stimulating message.

 

Needless to say I am enjoying the discussions.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda